Page 33 of His Best Man's Baby

Tae almost fell over on the table, but she welcomed the interruption. Why was this a big deal? Maybe because she’d put it off and she feared Jax’s anger. They got along so well when he wasn’t arguing with Daniel about seeing her.

“Jax here. Yeah, Frank, what’s up?” Jax paused, listening into his phone. He looked across at Tae and winked at her. Once again, her heart stirred, and she lowered her gaze to her plate. Jax continued talking, and she didn’t pay much attention until the tone of his voice changed. “Damn, you’re right. I can’t miss this opportunity. I’m on it.”

He disconnected the call, and Tae sensed their night out had come to an end, but what surprised her was how disappointed she felt. “You have to go?”

He nodded. “I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t go if I hadn’t been trying to catch up with this guy for a couple months. He knows someone has been on his trail—me. My friend just informed me of where he’s holed up, and I need to get there before he moves again.”

“No problem. I understand.” She signaled for the waitress.

“I’ll drop you home first,” he offered as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket. “Tae, can I come by later tonight?”

She hesitated, but she needed to talk to him. “Yes, you can come. Don’t be too late.”

“I promise. I won’t be.”

By midnight, Jax hadn’t shown up, and Tae refused to call him. She went to bed cursing his name.

Chapter Eleven

“Tae, are you there?”

She moaned and cracked an eye open to check the time. Six

a.m., way too early for Daniel to be calling her. Yawning, she considered sitting up and dismissed the idea. In a minute she’d tell him where to go and throw her cell phone across the room before going back to sleep.

“You must be out of your mind calling me so early, Daniel Elliott.”

“Tae, Jax has been shot.”

Her stomach knotted so tight, she almost threw up. All sense of sleepiness left in an instant, and she jumped to her feet. The room swirled and then righted itself. This time her stomach somersaults were the result of morning sickness, but it quickly subsided, thank goodness. “Is he okay? What happened? Daniel, tell me he’s fine!”

Daniel was silent a heartbeat, and she feared the worst. “He’s okay. I’m on my way to pick you up.”

“I can drive myself. Which hospital?”

“Huntersville.”

“I’ll be there.” She disconnected the line and shot to the bathroom. Prayers that Jax would be okay ran through her mind over and over. She hadn’t told him she was having his baby. What if he died without knowing? No, she had to believe he would be all right. If it were critical, surely Daniel would have told her. Or maybe he didn’t want to scare her without being there in person. Don’t think that way, Tae. He’s got to be fine. Think positive.

She dressed in record time and stuffed her feet into slippers when she couldn’t find her other sandal. Keys in hand and purse swinging behind her as she ran, she left the apartment. East Charlotte to Huntersville was a good twenty-five minutes with moderate traffic. At just after six in the morning, she had open roads, and she took advantage of them with her foot heavy on the accelerator. All the way, she prayed and begged for Jax. When she hurtled through the emergency-room doors, her throat dry and chest heaving, she scanned the waiting area for Daniel.

He stood just outside the doors leading past triage and frowned at her when she ran up to him. “Calm down, Tae. Why are you dressed like that?”

She ignored his question. “I want to see him.”

Once again, Daniel seemed put out with her concern, but he nodded and glanced at the nurse who buzzed them to the back. Tae clung to Daniel’s arm, feeling unsteady and sick. Her belly ached, and it seemed like all the energy had been drained out of her. Pregnancy meant constant exhaustion, and losing sleep, even an hour, made it much worse. Right now, she didn’t matter. Jax did. If he were on the brink of death, by now surely Daniel would admit it before she went to see him, but he was unusually quiet. Maybe Jax being shot affected him more than it did her. Of course it did. They’ve been friends for years.

Daniel thrust aside a curtain leading into one of the examining rooms, but the bed lay empty. He whirled to face the nurse’s station, his face a thundercloud, but a perky little nurse headed him off. “Oh, Daniel, your friend has been moved into a room on the second floor. If you’ll hold on a minute, I’ll get the exact number.”

Tae stared after her as she headed to the station. “Daniel?” she said, pursing her lips.

He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. “I guess I was a little chatty when I was worried about that idiot.”

“Just how long did you wait to call me?”

His eyes were apologetic. “Not long. An artery was nicked, and there was a lot of blood…”

Tae had already been feeling a bit queasy with the hospital smell of disinfectant and latex. Daniel’s talk of blood did not help. “I got it. Let’s go.”

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